Dorian's back is to the wind, as she turns and faces her biggest fear--that of finding herself alone.
The Winds of Change
The 3.26.07 One Life to Live episode--Clint Chooses Dorian
The 3.26.07 episode was significant for me as a viewer because it was the one in which Clint chose Dorian over Viki. It was surprising because that just never happens on OLTL, where Viki Davidson is considered the heroine and the center of all that is good in Llanview. Robin Strasser's Dorian is characteristically on the losing end of battles with Viki. This time they were each fighting to win Clint Buchanan's heart. In an unlikely turn of events, Clint chose Dorian.
Early in the episode it was NOT evident Dorian would be his choice to viewers or most importantly to Dorian. Her fear of abandonment was laced throughout the dialogue. Here is this exchange:
Dorian: I know that I am not a pillar of virtue.
Clint: Amen and again, amen.
Dorian: But if I am such a nightmare, what are you doing here?
Clint: I don't think that you're a nightmare except when you get on one of these anti-Viki tirades. Now, I've told you over and over just leave Viki alone.
Dorian: But she refuses to leave me -- I'm sorry.
Clint: Let me tell you something. Viki did what she did because I have been pressing her to let me know how she feels about me. Now, her timing might have been off, but I'm thankful that she said what she said.
Dorian: I see. So I guess I misunderstood why you came home with me from the hospital. Huh. You're ending it with me, aren't you?
Since late summer, Robin Strasser fans watched as Dorian doggedly pursued Clint after he broke up with her once he learned that she had hired someone to stalk her daughter. Still, Dorian never gave up hope of getting Clint back, even after Clint began dating his ex-wife Viki.
Clint (to Dorian in her fantasy during the 3.26.07 show): First, you should know that this was not an easy decision. I mean, Viki and I are so simpatico about -- with so many things, and we're bound together by more than just our love for our kids. The tie that binds us together is very strong, despite our stormy past. And with you, the storms are very much in the present. You're like a wild bronco, and I'm not quite sure if you need to be tamed, and to be honest, I don't know if there' s a man who could do so, here I am. On one hand, there's Viki, who's mother earth personified. On the other hand, there's you, a woman who's as wild as the wind. And I realize that I can't live my life anymore hovering between the earth and the wind. So I have to make a choice. And, Dorian, I think you know what that choice is.
Dorian "Wild Bronco" in the wind: I thought about Dorian's fantasy. It revealed her uncertainty and her insecurity that will no doubt permeate her relationship with Clint. Dorian is unrestraint of tongue and spirit. Clint was able to put his foot down to reign in her tirade against Viki. But, I have a feeling her hot temperament will be unleashed and her feistiness will result in many fights between them. With the fights there will be intensity, vulnerability, passion. These things were evident in Robin Strasser's performance. She was heartbreaking when she told Clint that she felt he was going to dump her for Viki. Hasn't that always been the case for Dorian? She was almost child-like in obedience when Clint snapped at her for speaking ill of Viki. It was unsettling for me and fascinating. She seemed vulnerable and it bothered me. It made me curious to see where TPTB are going to go with that piece in their relationship because Dorian is not going to remain silent about Viki.
The dialogue in Dorian's kitchen about Viki and the exchange later at Llanfair between Viki and Clint about Dorian showed Clint to be a trigger for both women and their insecurities. There is a minefield to be tapped into for explosive story. For Dorian, she is not the pillar of the community as is Viki and for Viki she doesn't possess the wild sexuality easily evident with Dorian. Dorian figures Clint wants someone as virtuous as Viki and Viki thinks Clint wants an uninhibited woman like Dorian.
READ BETWEEN THE LINES:
Dorian (replying to Clint's question about what upset her): I wasn't going to say anything, but since you asked -- Viki. I mean, really. Her barging in like that, trying to get between us -- that was pathetic.
Dorian deeply cares for Clint. Dorian also does not want to face a future where she is abandoned by those with whom she cares. Dorian's mother once told Dorian that she did not deserve to be loved. Whether she will ever admit it, I believe Dorian agrees. It drives her behavior--good and bad. Remember Spencer's video tape that he left for Miles Laurence to play at the Palace for a select few? Here were Spencer's words: Dorian Lord? You know, from the first moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that you were nothing more than a selfish, vindictive shrew --that's right. My brother, David, was the only person on the planet who was actually willing to put up with you. Loser attracts loser, I suppose, but even David deserves better than you, so I took him away from you, and I did so enjoy the sight of you being left at the altar, rejected and utterly alone, which is how I suspect you will spend the rest of your miserable life. Therefore, I leave you this mirror so you can always stare at the only person who actually loves you.
It was painful to watch Dorian confronted with being abandoned. Dorian will fight against it. She will cling tightly to those whom she holds dear. She will not be abandoned.
Thanks for visiting Walk of Fame
Viva la Diva!
